1. SEA in Europe:
Main principles, key benefits and
challenges of its implementation
Martin Smutny
Jakarta
July 10th, 2012

2. Europe
• Covers altogether 46 countries + 3 countries only partially
(Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey)
• European Union consists of 27 countries – EU member states (12
countries joined only in 2004 or later – so called “EU new MSs”)
• There are significant differences among European / EU states
regarding
• History and evolution
• Economic performance
• Political systems
• Legislation etc.
• as well as environmental protection including SEA

3. SEA evolution in Europe i.
1. Pre-history (1970-80´)
• Certain level of environmental analyses is usually required
within land-use / spatial plans preparation
2. First SEA applications (since mid-1980´):
• The Netherland applied
 “E-Test” for policies and legal proposals, and
 Detailed assessment of land-use plans, industrial
development, waste management and energy production
plans

4. SEA evolution in Europe ii.
3. Further development of practice and policy framework building
(since early 1990´)
• United Kingdom: since mid-1990´ appraisals of local
development plans has to address (among others) environmental
concerns
• Czech Republic:
EIA/SEA Act adopted in 1992
1st SEA application in 1996
• EU’s 5th Environmental Action Plan (1993): “…it seems only logical,
if not essential, to apply an assessment of the environmental
implications of all relevant policies, plans and programmes”
• Convention on Biological Diversity (1993) “environmental
consequences of programmes and policies that are likely to have
significant adverse impacts on biodiversity are taken into account”

5. SEA evolution in Europe iii.
4. Unification of approach (since late 1990´)
• EU SEA Directive (Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the
effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment)
Proposal adopted by European Commission in 1996 and
amended in 1999
The amended text negotiated with the 15 MSs in 1999
Formally adopted in 2001
Had to be transposed until July 2004
• Besides the EU SEA Directive, a number of EU MSs also signed and
ratified UNECE SEA Protocol (Kiev, 2003)
5. EU MSs SEA practice in accordance with EU SEA Directive
• 2004 – ???

6. Main principles of SEA in Europe i.
• Role and approach to SEA: Environmental assessment is an important tool
for integrating environmental considerations into the preparation and
adoption of certain plans and programmes ….. it ensures that environmental
effects of implementing plans and programmes are taken into account
during their preparation and before their adoption.
• Benefits of SEA: The adoption of environmental assessment procedures
should lead to benefits by inclusion of the relevant environmental
information into decision making, which should contribute to more
sustainable and effective solutions.
• SEA is applied as a part of planning / programming (however it can be
recognized from the PPP preparation itself)
• It often provides direct inputs to the PPP (environmental analyses, new
alternatives and solutions)
• Separate SEA report is prepared, but belongs to the PPP
• SEA conclusions have to be (and really are) considered by decision-
makers

7. Main principles of SEA in Europe ii.
• Consultations and participation: It is necessary to provide that authorities
with relevant environmental responsibilities and the public are to be
consulted during the assessment of plans and programmes. When a plan or
programme is adopted, the relevant authorities and the public are informed
and relevant information is made available to them.
• SEA process are widely open for all interested stakeholders
• Environmental and health authorities are invited to participate
• Screening results are published as well as consultations are carried out
within scoping (very often)
• Draft PPP and SEA report is made available to environmental/health
authorities and public and is a subject of consultations
• Transboundary consultations (in case of likely transboundary impacts)
• Final decision is published including statement explaining how SEA
results have been considered in decision (or why not)

8. Information on decision
• Environmental authorities and public shall be provided by the
PP as adopted and a statement summarising how
1. environmental considerations
2. opinions on the draft PP and environmental (SEA) report
3. results of transboundary consultations
…..have been integrated in the PP
4. the reasons for choosing the PP as adopted
5. monitoring measures

9. Benefits i.
• In many cases SEA leads to specific changes of PPP resulting in
better environmental performance of its implementation
 New development priorities, new alternatives
 Environmental criteria for projects´ selection
 Conditions for implementation (defining “no-go” areas)
• SEA provides efficient opportunity for public to participate in
SEA as well as in planning process
 Public is using SEA to enter the planning processes
 Public is well informed on PPP and its likely environmental impacts
 Proper consultations often lead to improvement of the PPP and better
public acceptance of its implementation (less opposition against the
PPP)

10. Benefits ii.
• SEA is recognized as a standard tool
 Planning agencies and planners are familiar with SEA and know what
they can expect from it
 Results are taken seriously – planners often welcome “early warnings”
and identification of likely risks
• SEA has improved policy-making and planning systems
 It has changed attitude of planers and decision-makers to the
environmental protection and sustainable development
 SEA has brought some environmental issues on high policy-making and
planning levels
 SEA has improved (mainly environmental) linkages between PPPs
 SEA has facilitated better cooperation among governmental agencies

11. Key challenges
• Too wide application – overuse of SEA (especially at the local
level)
• Lack of general interests and lack of capacities to focus on the
most important cases
• Only formal application (without any real effects – i.e. no
modifications of the PPP and/or decision and/or PPP´s
implementation)
• Low quality of analyses (and insufficient quality control) – may
lead to refusal of SEA results and conclusions
• Beyond SEA: Poor implementation of the PPPs assessed
through SEA (from local spatial plans to national policies)

12. Thank you for your
attention!
martin.smutny@integranet.cz